Holiday 2023 - Dalbeattie, near Dumfries, Scotland
Each year we choose a different place in the UK to stay while on vacation. In the past we have visited various places such as the Lake District, the Peaks, New Forest, Norfolk Broads, Isle of Mull, South Wales etc. We even visited the Scottish Highlands and the Cairngorms last year, and enjoyed it so much that this year we chose to return to Scotland, this time to the Lowlands, in Dumfries and Galloway.
Part 4 - A tour of Galloway Forest - 12th June
Today was a long day!
So long in fact, that I decided it would be useful to actually have a map to refer back to!
We are on Day 4 of our holiday to Dumfries and Galloway, and today we have chosen to head 20 miles north-east into the Galloway Forest Park. The forest itself is flippin' enormous! As there was no way we could do it all, we picked out a route to drive around the area, with a few places to stop and explore along the way
So with out further ado, lets crack on with Stage 1 - Red Deer Range
The Red Deer Range was established by 'Forestry and Land Scotland' - the organization responsible for looking after and managing lots of wild places in Scotland. It is a decent sized chunk of land with Red Deer kept here, and although the animals are still considered wild, the organization obviously helps to look after them here.
It is a very small place... essentially it is a large hide which overlooks the grounds in which the 25 or so Red Deer roam. That glorified shed in the middle looks to be somewhere where food and other supplies are kept by the Rangers.
You could see the Deer high upon the hillside in the distance... and they stayed there until one of the Rangers turned up and shook a bucket of snacks...
I don't know what the 'snacks' were btw, it didn't occur me to ask!
Whatever the snacks were, it certainly got their attention!
One by one they wandered down
Is it me or do the Deer look really grumpy here? Perhaps the snacks were late?
Ranger - "Do you want to feed them?"
Me: er... no thanks I'll stick to taking pictures!
They don't look quite that majestic when they are this close
Fortunately after the Ranger ran out of snacks for the time being, the Deer slowly sauntered off back up the hillside
That was a different experience at least. We've seen plenty of Red Deer before in the UK, but never that close. I'm not sure how wild they could be considered considering the amount of snacks and human interaction they would receive, but I guess its a good idea for a visitor attraction, and I was able to get some decent shots for once
Usually they would be stood far off in the distance and not allow you to get too close
I also got a bonus Pied Wagtail as well so that was also a plus!
Next up
Stage 2 - Clatteringshaws Loch
After the Deer, we got back in the car and drove 10 minutes up towards Visitor Centre at the Loch. There was a little café which served hot and cold food, some benches to sit and admire the view, and a small walk to see a rock or something...?
The view was stunning
It really, really was stunning.
And then after getting distracted by a 'wee beastie'
look at me trying to speak the lingo!
We then started walking along on the small guided trail
Oh well that, that actually looks like an impressive bit of rock...
Ah ok, the useful information board explains that after Robert the Bruce (then the King of Scotland) had defeated the English, he was feeling a bit tired and so stopped to catch his breath while leaning against this very stone
well, according to legend anyway...
So some history learnt too, today was becoming very educational!
We were approaching lunchtime, and as we had walked almost 2 miles to see that 'rock', we were famished and needed cake. She went for Carrot Cake, I went for the Millionaires Shortbread, and yep I was on the 'Irn-bru again.
We also both had a cheese and ham panini thing each, which was super tasty, but in my haste to stuff my face, I forgot to take a picture of said panini, so you'll just have to take my word for it.
All the while, still enjoying the view:
Right, enough eating, lets get on with Stage 3. We got back in the car, and headed a short way back down the road we had just driven up. We were at the start of the Raiders Road
The Road is a 14 mile single track route, that has been created so people can get in amongst the beautiful scenery and enjoy the amazing views without having to leave the car
personally I'd be quite happy to leave the car and walk in the fresh air, but this was something my partner had wanted to do from the start of booking the holiday last year, so here we go on a long slow drive...
As there was only 1 route available, and no navigating was needed I spent the time taking as many pictures as possible... so lots of pictures like the ones below, all shot through the windscreen while she was driving.
There were passing places, so we took time to stop at several of these to get out of the car and admire the view.
There was a small river that ran through the valley below, which we'll get to see better views of shortly
And then after the flies started to swarm around us again, it was time to move on, with some more pretty pictures taken through car windows.
We found another place to pause and admire the view, and it happened to be right next to the river. We looked around and found a tiny little path through, and we were right on top of the river itself.
The river was quite fast flowing, and I tried playing with some slow shutter speed shots to see if I could get the same smooth milky water effect hat I had from the waterfall a few days ago
And I think they turned out quite well, don't you?
I really like the one below.
After 10 minutes I stopped taking pictures, and we sat on the rocks and listened to the sound of the rushing water, crashing and splashing past us...
And then it was back on the road again.
To recap with that helpful map. We were on the road that passed through the forest. It started at stage 3 and runs all the wall down to Stage 6. At this point, having just visited the river we were on the way towards Stage 4 - Otter Pools.
It turns out that Otter Pool is just a big parking area next to a place where the River widens. There's toilets and plenty of benches for everyone to stop and enjoy the view
And it was quite a nice view, but there were people here playing and pratting around, I definitely preferred the smaller and secluded section we found previously, it was a lot more peaceful!
Otter Statue at 'Otter Pools'
Apparently there was a slim chance that we could see Otters here, although with all the screaming kids I'm not sure that was likely!
We went for a stroll along one of the paths nearby...
...and took some more pretty pictures, before heading back on the road
I was still half grumblin' about the whole 'road' experience, but fair play to the creators of the road... the views were fantastic.
Even more so when we arrived at Stage 5 - Loch Stroan
I could sit and admire this view for days, but no time for that. There was a small circular walk here for 2 miles, so we replenished our water with the spare water bottles from the car.
By this point they had been in the car all day, and no longer cool and refreshing. Better than nothing though...
We set of on to the path and followed through the trees...
And along the side of the river...
After a while I realized that we hadn't changed direction, that we were walking in a straight line. It was supposed to be a circular route, wasn't it?
I consulted the map
Yep! Circular. AND there should be sign posts leading us around it. We've walked for almost an hour and not seen a post
The only sensible course of action was to turn around and head back, at least I knew where we had walked, and I had no intentions getting lost. As we walked back I looked out intently for signposts directing us where to go, and I saw nothing until we arrived back at the start point near the Loch.
"well that was a little disappointing"
It was a nice place to walk though, wherever we had ended up going!
And the view was exquisite...
On the road again, we were heading for the last part of our 'tour' - Stage 6 - Secret Cages
I should explain quickly.
The Red Kite is a large bird of prey, which very nearly became extinct in the UK in the 60's. A concerted effort by various wildlife organizations and volunteers helped to bring them back to being well established today. One of those elements were Birds being reintroduced into places with suitable habitat. The Forest of Galloway is prime example of that, and somewhere up a steep hill promised to be the location of where those birds were released in secret
We found a sign, parked the car and headed on up...
We found a second sign, and carried on heading up.
And then the signs disappeared. There appeared to be miles of forest track, criss-crossing all over the place. And as with the previous location, I didn't want to risk losing my bearings and getting lost, especially as the day was so hot, and we were running low on water anyway.
Reluctantly, we decided to play it safe and call it a day. We turned and headed back down the hill to the car, and then drove back to the Lodge for a (much needed) nice cool shower.
Regardless of the slightly disappointing ending, it was a great day out exploring the beautiful location, and I'd even put up with the road again to go back and complete both of those walks properly, and admiring the stunning views again.
A long day indeed, and its not over yet, as later tonight will be the second of 2 moth trap sessions in this location, and as dusk is falling, I'd better go set it up!
While in my care, all individuals are looked after, and after Photographs have been taken, they are all released safely outside.
All names confirmed and checked via Wikispieces
Further Research from UK Moths and NatureSpot
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